Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

We just had the X1 installed yesterday. What I thought would be a quick switching of boxes turned into a 6 hour ordeal. Of course after the tech left, I realized that there is an issue with our home theatre system. The sound works fine if only using the TV but once the home theatre system is turned on, the sound cuts in and out of the sound bar. The subwoofer seems to still be working though. We've tried adjusting the cables/settings every which way but it's still not working. Now we have to wait til next weekend for a another tech to come out. I am not even confident that they'll be able to solve the problem. Any suggestions???

Thanks!

You'll have to post a lot more information about how you have your system audio connected (HDMI, Optical, Analog?) for both the TV only connection and the AVR - and what those other components are.

x1 reset and surround sound

Have had X1 now for about 2 weeks.I've had 5 techs out to the house in that time.I have 1 main DVR and two remote X1 HD box one in my garage and one in my bedroom.No issues with the one in the garage except video changes back to 720p randomly.The box in my bed room has to be rebooted every morning.The box turns on and I have picture and sound but when I hit menu or info on remote picture size gets smaller and nothing else happens.I can hit exit and screen returns to normal size but no menu no guide no info.I was told I have low signal.The signal would have to be increased at the pole.My last tech told me my signal was fine,and with the signal I have they would never increase the signal.Well this past weekend I ran new RG6 cable and routed the cable a shorter distance from the splitter.Also there was a double male connection piecing to cables together.After running new cable for both bedroom and garage boxs and resetting everything.I called X1 support and asked them to check my signal's.They said everything was in the green.100% signal.I'm thinking problem solved.But no had to reset box this morning.Funny thing is once it is reset works great until the next morning.The issue I have with the main DVR box is I can't get the surround sound option to take effect.It always reverts back to stereo.Only my center and right speaker work. No sound from other speaker's.And no I am not using HDMI I using fiber optic cable.I see other people have the surround issue.All box have lastest software June 22.Having a tech come out is useless I know more about the X1 platform than they do.And everything that could be done has been done.Do I just wait for updates.I'm a little upset Comcast is having these issues when X1 has 's been in other markets a lot longer,are they still having isues.ie Atlanta,Denver, Boston.Hope the next update is a large one and corrects these issues.I'm in San Francisco area.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

@MMEvans wrote:I also think the box is loud the fan runs constantly and it is loud. the fan even runs when i have turned the box off by hand. My other question is why does the green power button not turn off when you select the all power button? I have to go and physically push the button each time.

I must have a newer version of the X1 because they had to open the box that the X1 was in and the fan is real silent as i cant here anything and my green light goes out after an hour but will still record future programs.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

Why is it every time Comcast upgrades its platform we lose features? Had the X1 installed - no DVR - last week. Reminders are gone; Favorites are funky and no button on the remote; advancing the guide by the day is gone or hidden; the remote can't turn off the box; the box won't work through an HDMI switcher; voice control is only through an iPhone; the box doesn't support pairing so you can't hide it behind the TV. Ugh!

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment- powersave

As you may have discovered the remote All Power button does not turn the X1 box off only the TV. In a recent software upgrade the Power Save feature was added. It appears the with that the X1 box turns itself off after the set time of inactivity. I have had mine set for 2 hours and when out of the house for awhile or at night the box does power off. The All Power button does power the X1 box on with the TV. One small issue I did see is that when the box powers off with the Prower Save feature and I then turn it back on my Closed Caption setting is turn off. I need closed caption as I have a mild hearing problem. It is easy to turn CC back on but just a small inconvenience.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

We've got HDMI from the X1 to a Panasonic HTB550 audio system, then HDMI from the audio system to a panasonic plasma tv. The interesting thing is that the stereo system works great and doesn't cut out when watching recorded DVR programs on the X1. The sound bar only cuts out when watching living tv and ondemand. If we keep the audio system turned off, there is no issue with the TV sound.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

@K_S wrote:HiHow do you turn off the set top box? For me i have to hit the green button (remote doesnt work)

That is how it works--the power button on the box itself will work to turn it off (well, put it into standby) while the remote one is there only to turn it on (it was done that way by design in an update that was pushed to the boxes not too long ago). Or you can set up and use the power save feature in the settings where screen saver can be configured under device configuration.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

I leave the STB on for 2 hrs with the audio on and video off waiting for power save to kick inSorry thats not an option

So for now at least the only other options are to use the power button on the box itself and/or to turn off the receiver that gets the audio (or change it to a different input) when you turn off the TV.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment -powersave

I noticed while watching DVR and having the power saver set to 1hour the power save option attempts to kick in. Makes no sense. It may have something to do with the other bug related to the screen saver turning on while watching DVR.

Update: so I figured I'm better off turning the powersaver off until I figure out exactly what its used for. So after turning off an hour later I get the popup warning the power will turn off. I attempt to cancel but the box wasn't responding and turns itself off. I turn it back on and notice the summary screen still shows powersaver is set to 1 hour.but, when I go into the menu the powersaver is set to off. I'm going to reboot. I'll report back if it doesn't fix after reboot.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment- powersave

Its been a while, so let me net out what I've been experiending, and what I've read from others on this forum.

When it works, everyone likes the new menu

Everyone hates not being able to advance a day, or week, at a time.

The fans are too loud, and on all the time.

The green power buttong being on/off is confusing.

That lack of an input key on the remote, to allow the TV to switch to other devices, is maddening, and forces folks to keep a seperate remote around just for this purpose.

The DVR functionality has gotten a lot better for me over the past month, but some are still claiming that recordings don't happen.

Occassionally (for me), the remote becomes laggy.

The lack of public FAQ about software releases, what is being fixed, and what is being worked on, is also maddening, and messages to folks that Comcast is very inward looking.

I'm still losing recordings - the box just deletes them even though they are set to save until I delete and the DVR is only about 30% full. Shows also mysteriously aren't recording at times. That's the only thing I'm really frustrated about. The slow response at times (especially on the non-DVR box) can be annoying, but I can't say it really bothers me. The DVR issue, however, needs to be fixed ASAP. I would rather go back to only two recordings at the same time if it meant that the shows would actually record when they're supposed to and don't delete themselves for no reason.

Re: How do I get it??

i hear its got a low inventory in NJ...u can ask for it but it may be delayed/hard to get. im in NJ as well

Has anyone seen the ARRIS XG1 box yet? The Pace box is terrible. Recordings don't record as planned, recorded shows randomly get deleted even though the DVR is not full and they are set to save until I delete. I know the ARRIS boxes are supposed to arrive in Q3, which is now.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

We've got HDMI from the X1 to a Panasonic HTB550 audio system, then HDMI from the audio system to a panasonic plasma tv. The interesting thing is that the stereo system works great and doesn't cut out when watching recorded DVR programs on the X1. The sound bar only cuts out when watching living tv and ondemand. If we keep the audio system turned off, there is no issue with the TV sound.

I doubt the problem is anything Comcast can fix - at least not without changing how the software handles HDMI.

It sounds like you are having an HDMI handshake problem between the X1 and HTB550. When the system is off, it is doing HDMI pass-through to the TV so you don't have any problems with the audio.

You could try using the Optical connection from the X1 to the HTB550 for audio and use HDMI for video only. Or you could also try, as a troubleshooting measure, disabling HDAVI Control (HDMI CEC) in the HTB550. HDMI CEC can cause problems with non-compatible equipment and could be the cause of the HDMI handshake problem. However, disabling CEC could make the system less convenient to use, so even if that solves the audio problem, you may not like it.

Re: How do I get it??

i hear its got a low inventory in NJ...u can ask for it but it may be delayed/hard to get. im in NJ as well

Has anyone seen the ARRIS XG1 box yet? The Pace box is terrible. Recordings don't record as planned, recorded shows randomly get deleted even though the DVR is not full and they are set to save until I delete. I know the ARRIS boxes are supposed to arrive in Q3, which is now.

There are no such boxes being installed (at least not yet). As mentioned before, new/different boxes will be coming, as mentioned at the most recent cable show, but it's likely won't happen in the very near future.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

Came home today and the cable box had reset. The stereo was working for 10 min and I thought that it might be fixed, but NO of course not. I tried both your suggestions, running optical and disabling the HDAVI but the problem still exists. I did try to run an update version on the X1 from settings, but I'm getting an error that the set-top box was unable to request an updated version. Maybe there is a problem with the box?? Comcast is coming back on Saturday. If they can't fix it, then we'll just switch back to our old boxes that didn't have this problem and wait for the X1 kinks to be worked out. I don't want to buy a whole new stereo system and rewire behind the fireplace with the possibilty it may happen with that system too. Too bad, other than this issue we really like the new interface. Thanks for all your help!!!

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment - Surround 5.1

Thanks for this post. I have been on the phone with Comcast for the past two days with your described HDMI audio dropping, and no one seems to be acknowledging this as a real/known issue, even though there are plenty of folks on forums talking about losing audio using HDMI with an AVR. I'm just not sure I personally feel like spending another $85 for a workaround when this seems like it should have been caught before they released the X1 boxes. Sheesh.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

Came home today and the cable box had reset. The stereo was working for 10 min and I thought that it might be fixed, but NO of course not. I tried both your suggestions, running optical and disabling the HDAVI but the problem still exists. I did try to run an update version on the X1 from settings, but I'm getting an error that the set-top box was unable to request an updated version. Maybe there is a problem with the box?? Comcast is coming back on Saturday. If they can't fix it, then we'll just switch back to our old boxes that didn't have this problem and wait for the X1 kinks to be worked out. I don't want to buy a whole new stereo system and rewire behind the fireplace with the possibilty it may happen with that system too. Too bad, other than this issue we really like the new interface. Thanks for all your help!!!

Strange - maybe a bad X1. Optical should just work - there's nothing to it - no intelligence or anything. That it only happens with Live TV and OnDemand and not recordings is also an odd kink. At least you have your ducks in a row now when the guy shows up to look at it.

Deleted Items

I like the fact that you can recover Deleted Items, but wonder what the protocols are for cleaning it when the drive gets full. I have not gotten anywhere near there yet but would like to know before then. Casual observation looks like maybe it erases things after two weeks but I have not verified that yet, Has anybody done that or is there documentation somewhere? Thanks for the help.

Re: Deleted Items

I like the fact that you can recover Deleted Items, but wonder what the protocols are for cleaning it when the drive gets full. I have not gotten anywhere near there yet but would like to know before then. Casual observation looks like maybe it erases things after two weeks but I have not verified that yet, Has anybody done that or is there documentation somewhere? Thanks for the help.

It probably clears things out as it needs more space. The items there don't count toward how full your space is as far as recording new items.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

Just had x1 installed yesterday. I notice that when I select "surround" it takes it, then immediately, if I exit and go back to audio settings, it's back to stereo. However, it's indeed broadcast in surround. All my speakers are working properly, even tho the setting says "stereo".

Re: Deleted Items

I like the fact that you can recover Deleted Items, but wonder what the protocols are for cleaning it when the drive gets full. I have not gotten anywhere near there yet but would like to know before then. Casual observation looks like maybe it erases things after two weeks but I have not verified that yet, Has anybody done that or is there documentation somewhere? Thanks for the help.

It probably clears things out as it needs more space. The items there don't count toward how full your space is as far as recording new items.

Have either of you erased your program after you deleted it?After you erase a program you cant restore the program it is permantly gone from your X1 Box at that time or when the X1 resets itself would be my guess.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

Well, comcast came out and installed a new x1 box and the sound still cuts out. He said there is a compatibility issue between the x1 box and the stereo system. I asked how I would know which stereo systems are compatible and he didn't know. So what to do, revert back to our old comcast boxes or buy a new system with the hopes that it will be compatible??? Neither sounds like a good option. I don't understand how a year old stereo system isn't compatible. There must be an issue with the software on the x1 boxes. Maybe if enough customers complain about it comcast will fix this problem. Any suggestions on who I can contact at comcast? Do they even read these forums?

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

I have multiple DVRs. They operate as DVR and satelite. I have called to have the any room feature disabled and I get a different answer every time I call. I'm told that the billing colde needs to be changed or a filter needs to be installed or it can't be done. I wish someone could at least give me a real answer before I dump this system.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

I have multiple DVRs. They operate as DVR and satelite. I have called to have the any room feature disabled and I get a different answer every time I call. I'm told that the billing colde needs to be changed or a filter needs to be installed or it can't be done. I wish someone could at least give me a real answer before I dump this system.

Did you try MoCA filters on the DVR's? When you press exit for 5 seconds down arrow twice number 2 on remote on the MoCA diagnostics is MoCA disabled? I have an open ticket on this problem for 4 days. I called billing and got the AnyRoom code removed. My 2 DVR's are currently working with the MoCA disabled but the billing code keeps turning on. I would like to see if the filters work but have to wait for billing code to go on again. Have them send a tech over with filters.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

Well, comcast came out and installed a new x1 box and the sound still cuts out. He said there is a compatibility issue between the x1 box and the stereo system. I asked how I would know which stereo systems are compatible and he didn't know. So what to do, revert back to our old comcast boxes or buy a new system with the hopes that it will be compatible??? Neither sounds like a good option. I don't understand how a year old stereo system isn't compatible. There must be an issue with the software on the x1 boxes. Maybe if enough customers complain about it comcast will fix this problem. Any suggestions on who I can contact at comcast? Do they even read these forums?

I know you said you tried an optical cable and had the same issues. Are you absolutely sure you were sending audio over the optical cable?

The reason I ask is that I don't see any way in the X1 settings to force audio over optical, so I assume that both HDMI audio and Optical are always on. That means you have to force your stereo system to use Optical.

I looked at the owner's manual instructions on page 19 and 20 for connections and it doesn't look like there's an easy way to do that like you can with a typical AVR. There don't appear to be any config options in the HTB550 to do that. And, specifically, on page 20 it shows Optical from the box (X1 in this case) to AVR and a direct connection from the box (X1 again) to the TV. That connection is not specified; it could be HDMI or Component (red, green, blue). The implication is that if a device like the X1 is connected HDMI directly to the HTB550, audio will only be over HDMI.

My guess is that you probably never had an optical audio connection working so the HDMI incompatibility persisted. There may be a way to overcome that incompatibilty with something like a Gefen HDMI Detective or maybe not.

At any rate it seems like a situation where you really have to love the X1 and dig into alternative connections (as on page 20) on the AVR, try some HDMI trick device like that Gefen box, or fall back to a DVR that works with your AVR. I think it is work trying to get a connection going with optical as it shows in the manual on page 20 just so you know what is and is not workable, then go from there.

Re: Deleted Items

I like the fact that you can recover Deleted Items, but wonder what the protocols are for cleaning it when the drive gets full. I have not gotten anywhere near there yet but would like to know before then. Casual observation looks like maybe it erases things after two weeks but I have not verified that yet, Has anybody done that or is there documentation somewhere? Thanks for the help.

It probably clears things out as it needs more space. The items there don't count toward how full your space is as far as recording new items.

Have either of you erased your program after you deleted it?After you erase a program you cant restore the program it is permantly gone from your X1 Box at that time or when the X1 resets itself would be my guess.

I have watched the available space continue to shrink until I actually ERASE recordings. I have not tried this in several weeks, but when I did erase a large number of recordings (a few weeks worth) the amount full indicator went down dramatically and immediately. Maybe they have since fixed that behavior as it seemed useless as it was. It led me to simply ignore the % full indicator since it was still counting deleted recordings.

Re: Deleted Items

My Deleted items have never counted toward my total % space. I would like a way to actually tell how much space these items take up. I have erased items from the Delete list and they were permanently deleted immediately. It would be nice if there was some document explaining the protocols used for disk cleanup. I do notice older recording being erased from my Deleted list and would like to know is this during some kind of maintenance at a scheduled time or a random basis. I have never exceeded 35% full which only reflects the Recordings list, that is why it would be nice to know what space Deleted list takes up so I can control this also.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

Two "X1" boxes with DVR on one worked ok, til I had to disconnected the one because of new carpeting in my den, than, hooked everything back up,,,got the "xfinity logo with ONE red dot that won't move, says loading, but its frozen in time, can't watch my Phillies, til the "service truck" arrives some time tomorrow... aarrgggggggg. Any suggestions?

Re: X1Users Manual

I have that manual but it only tells you how the service works not the box itself. It would be nice if we could get a manual that explains HDD size, I/O ports and show front and back with explanation or connection type. Yes you can look but that might mean disconnecting everything to be able to get at the back of the box. Also all the older boxes have manuals available so why not this one. You would imagine Comcast/Xfinity could make one available.

Re: X1Users Manual

I have that manual but it only tells you how the service works not the box itself. It would be nice if we could get a manual that explains HDD size, I/O ports and show front and back with explanation or connection type. Yes you can look but that might mean disconnecting everything to be able to get at the back of the box. Also all the older boxes have manuals available so why not this one. You would imagine Comcast/Xfinity could make one available.

The HDD size can be found in the diagnostics panels -500GB. The back of the PACE PX001ANC DVR that I have is almost identical in connections with the Cisco RNG200N that it replaced.

I do agree that it would be nice if they had the manual available.

I am not a Comcast Employee.I am just a customer, volunteering my time to help other customers here in the Forums.Was your question answered? Mark the post as best answer!

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

I tried again this AM to connect the x1 to the TV and then the x1 to the stereo via optical only, as on page 20, and the sound still cuts out. I'm at my wits end! We either have to watch everything on DVR, return the x1, or buy a new sound system. Wish there was a way to know which system would work. I also don't want to have to reconfigure the wall mounted speakers/TV above the fireplace. This has been a very time consuming and frustrating process. I really do appreciate you taking the time to help me out. THANK YOU!!

Re: X1 - Rebooting / Audio & Visual resetting

I just received the X1 DVR box a week ago, and 4 times it has either frozen and/or rebooted at some point in the evening. I had a tech come out last Tuesday, but he did not know how to fix that and did not give me another box.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

I tried again this AM to connect the x1 to the TV and then the x1 to the stereo via optical only, as on page 20, and the sound still cuts out. I'm at my wits end! We either have to watch everything on DVR, return the x1, or buy a new sound system. Wish there was a way to know which system would work. I also don't want to have to reconfigure the wall mounted speakers/TV above the fireplace. This has been a very time consuming and frustrating process. I really do appreciate you taking the time to help me out. THANK YOU!!

Did they swap your X1 out with a replacement and it does the same thing? I'm just trying to imagine what could be happening there. Unlike HDMI, S/PDIF is a very old and simple interface. S/PDIF dropouts would indicate corrupt audio (faulty X1 recording) or clocking errors - but clocking errors should show up with both recorded and live programming.

Since you are having this problem with both HDMI and S/PDIF and only with recorded programming, it certainly points to corruption in the recordings. Do you have any sort of audio playback device that has analog inputs (maybe the TV) - something you could playback the DVR through to check the recordings? If the problem exists also with analog connections the fault can't be anywhere else but the recording and your X1 is defective.

If they've already swapped out the X1, then I'm baffled - possible that two boxes are defective, but would be surprising.

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

I tried hooking up the X1 to the TV via HDMI and then the TV to the soundbar using optical only and so far its working This isn't the ideal set up since I can't run blu ray through the soundbar box and can't use viera link to see the volume control on the tv. Neither panasonic or comcast have been very helpful with this issue. Thank goodness for the internet and forums

Re: X1 – Settings, Remote & Equipment

Perhaps I posted to the wrong forum. It is really not recorded programming that is the issue(though there are other issues with that as well). The box froze last night when I was watching TV on an HDMI connection. Turnung the power off all night on the box did not help. Removing the power cable from the box did resolve the isue for now, but it will more than likely return again. No one from Comcast has replaced the box yet. The tech who came out last Tuesday did not know how to fix the issue.